Human Condition: Reading In Life

The latest mission in Human Condition really spurred me to get back on track on my reading. Honestly, my target was to read 20 books in 2013 and I am not even in the halfway mark :(

Their mission this time was read for the whole week. This proved to be a challenging one because amidst their busy schedules, they have to clock in 3 hours of reading time in a day. Amaaazing. I should be doing such missions.

So the other day I was picking up some books to lend to a friend and to my horror, discovered that a few of my old Nicholas Sparks' titles were missing! This somehow reminded me of a conversation I had with another friend regarding incidences of books that were borrowed but never returned. So I was telling QQ and she told me that she had some books left on her shelves. I thought I had moved everything to my mini library corner.

*Edited*

Just checked and she was right. First book I recognised was Nicholas Sparks' At First Sight.

I am still up for reaching my target of 20.

Personal mission: Gonna try finishing a book each week.

Dad, Where Are We Going?

Currently watching: Dad, Where Are We Going? (아뻐 어디가?/Appa Odiga?)

I was starting to get bored of Running Man (no offence to Running Man fans out there!) and was looking for a new variety show to watch and then I remembered about Appa Odiga. I knew about it when it first came out but was apprehensive about watching it probably due to the lack of publicity this show has. However, I heard from my fellow K-crazy aunt that it was worth watching so I decided to give it a go. Did not regret ever since! The concept was refreshing and it was fun to watch the communication and chemistry that the kids have with their dads. Plus, I know it isn't really scripted because the kids are not trained actors so I doubt they can memorise scripts.

Appa Odiga is about a group of 5 celebrity dads with their respective kids going on a 2D1N trip at selected places. With missions to complete and basically just spending quality time together, it shows how the kids bond with their dads which is really heartwarming to see especially when these dads are busy celebrities.

Honestly, I can't pick a favourite kid because they are all different and charming in their own way.

Min Guk - The hyung (형) of the group. He started out as a crybaby from the first few episodes due to certain unlucky events. However, being the eldest, he naturally has the leadership quality in him and he really takes care of the younger ones well.

Sung Joon - The son of Sung Dong-Il, who is quite a recognizable actor. I would say that he is the most awkward with his dad. He even admitted that he was fearful of his dad but as time goes by, you could see that Sung Dong-Il puts in a lot of effort to get close to his son and somewhat breaks the ice between them. Joon is nicknamed The Scholar because all he does is read when they get free time.

Hoo - The singer's son. Hoo's dad is a singer and songwriter and confessed during the first episode that he doesn't spend enough time with his son due to his packed schedule so much so that his own son can't even recognize him. I guess that was when Hoo was much younger. Hoo is such a dynamic character because he really speaks his mind and isn't afraid to show his feelings. It's pretty funny to watch this mommy's boy sometimes get 'bullied' by his dad too. Hoo's vocabulary of Kpop is applaudable which can be seen sometimes from his singing outbursts.

Ji Ah - The rose among the thorns. She's the only girl in the show and I think that fact alone makes her character special enough. The daughter of South Korea's renowned soccer player, she really is a carbon copy of her dad. And is a total daddy's girl through and through.

Junsu - The maknae (막내) of the group, and the son of one of my favourite actors, Lee Jong Hyuk, who was in Gentleman's Dignity. His facial expressions and monotonous voice sometimes really crack me up. Junsu is still pretty much like a baby - he has yet to memorise hangeul thus he can't really read. But don't be deceived. He is actually reliable and strong too.

Okay, I can't believe I actually summarized each of the kids' characters but this just proves that Appa Odiga is worth watching if you're looking for something different than the other variety shows out there.

Fun fact: Do you know that Appa Odiga is currently number one in ratings for Sunday's variety shows?

The Human Condition

Currently watching: The Human Condition

Source: here

This is one of the newest addition to the list of variety shows by KBS. I am hooked ever since the first season because it was somewhat different from the rest. If you are a fan of Gag Concert, you would have realized that the six people above are their comedians. Thus, there is a touch of comedy apart from the serious message that the show is trying to convey. 

"The Human Condition", a pilot program, will feature diverse and true-to-life episodes on the experience of life without necessities by six comedians. The comedians live in a designated lodging place for seven days without cellular phones, access to the internet and TV. In the process, they are surprised to find new things they don't know about themselves. They all say that they found the importance of a man's word, and as free time increases in a life without digital appliances, they talk with each other more and work together on more things than before, which makes them feel closer. In addition, the various other experiences of the comedians will be presented through the 24-hour in-depth reporting in this program. (Source: KBS)

That was the first season, where their mission was to live without the basic technology that we are so used to by now. For the second season (which ended on KBS World just today!), their mission was to live without waste! At the end of each day, the members will have the final weigh-in whereby the waste they produced from that day will be weighed. The loser will have to pay a penalty which is usually by spreading the message across to the public in ingenious ways. It was really interesting because I think waste is something that most of us take for granted. More than just recycling, we should take a step further in minimizing the amount of waste that we actually produce.

Some of the steps taken by the members are:

• Bringing their own containers and tumblers to fill their packed food and coffee
• Setting up their own composting corner. This was interesting as Sangguk bought some worms to see whether it really works. At the end of the week, the banana peel which they threw in the beginning disappeared.
• Making recycled paper. Sangguk actually cut up and mixed a bunch of papers with water in a blender. He then dried them and ironed the mixture. He failed at his first attempt but was successful for the second one! He then used the paper to write a letter to his dad. 
• Eating enough and by ordering what they think they can finish so as to minimize the amount of food waste.
• Recycling their scripts by making them into a notebook. 
• Making handicrafts out of their waste. Taeho is such a master at this one. He created an Eiffel Tower out of paper.

The third season is starting next week on KBS World, every Saturday at 4 pm. Their mission this time round is to live without.. cars. Do not miss it!